This paper deals with a ring-form two-dimensional (X–Y) moving piezoelectric actuator. Use of this actuator enables, for example, a short distance stroke of a few mm for a lens in a camera. The actuator has two moving functions of rotational and linear motions. A combination of these two functions drives the actuator effectively; that is, such functions wherein first, the moving direction angle is determined by the rotational motion and next, the linear motion gives the straight moving distance, can be made possible. The actuator is constructed using a ring-form piezoelectric multimode vibrator in which three resonance modes degenerate: two of them are B21 and B21' bending modes of the same form which have two nodal circles and a nodal diameter, and the other is the first radial vibration mode (R,1). In this paper, the operation principle of the actuator and its basic characteristics of linear and rotational motions are shown, and moreover, the driving force characteristics are also presented and quantified.

Since most of miniaturized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing systems need commercially available peristaltic or syringe pumps, it is difficult to reduce the system size, biosample volume, and the production cost. In this paper, a compact biochip for clinical diagnosis is presented. The proposed biochip is integrated traveling wave micropumps and SPR imaging sensors on one chip. The micropump is composed of flexible microchannel and piezoelectric bimorph actuator array, and achieved the maximum flow rate 336 ll/min. The SPR imaging biosensor can quantitatively measure biosamples with multi microchannels, i.e. one biosample and two reference flows to obtain an analytical curve. The SPR imaging measurements with bovine serum albumin solutions were carried out using the prototype of the proposed diagnostic system composed of a pair of the micropump and the sensor. Since the clear SPR signal curve was observed, it was confirmed that the proposed system can be applicable to the clinical diagnosis.

Solar Cycle 19 was probably the greatest solar cycle over the last four centuries and significantly disrupted the solar-terrestrial environments with a number of solar eruptions and resultant geomagnetic storms. At its peak, the International Geophysical Year (IGY: 1957(IGY: -1958 was organised by international collaborations and benefitted scientific developments, capturing multiple unique extreme space weather events including the third and fourth greatest geomagnetic storms in the space age. In this article, we review and analyse original records of Japanese auroral observations around the IGY. These observations were organised by Masaaki Huruhata in collaboration with professional observatories and citizen contributors. We have digitised and documented these source documents, which comprise significant auroral displays in March 1957 (minimum Dst = −255 nT), September 1957 (minimum Dst = −427 nT), and February 1958 (minimum Dst = −426 nT). These records allow us to visualise temporal and spatial evolutions of these auroral displays, reconstruct their equatorward auroral boundaries down to 41.4°, 38.3°, and 33.3° in invariant latitudes, and contextualise their occurrences following contemporary

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